The invention disclosed herein relates generally to systems and methods for transmitting instructions for cash payments. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method used to interface a computer system with an ATM system so that payment instructions may be freely routed between the disparate networks and protocols of the two systems.
Using current technology, it is possible to transmit a payment to an ATM or similar financial terminal or kiosk for receipt only by its intended recipient. An example of this type of technology is the Z-CASH™ system developed by WESTERN UNION™. Terminals equipped with software to support the Z-Cash standard or format are capable of electronic money transfers to and from any equipped ATM or Western Union money transfer outlet.
The Z-Cash system allows a consumer to electronically send money using any participating ATM by simply swiping an ATM card and selecting the money transfer option presented on the terminal's display device. The user is prompted to select a personalized code and the desired dollar amount to transfer. The sender relays the confirmation number and the personalized code to the intended recipient who can retrieve the finds from any participating ATM. No bankcard is required to retrieve the funds, just the confirmation number and personalization code, which provides a means for securing the transaction. An example of cardless transaction technology is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,039, entitled “Cardless Automated Teller Transactions”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIG. 1 presents an illustration of the above-described system. A person wishing to make a payment 10, e.g., a payor, has two methods through which to make the payment: through the use of an ATM or similar terminal 20 or through interacting with a live agent 40 over a two way communication device such as a telephone. The ATM terminal 20 executes terminal software that allows the user to have a selected account debited by the payor's financial institution or instrument 25 and transmit the payment request, including confirmation number and personalization code, to an ATM terminal control server 50, e.g., a Western Union Z-Cash compliant server operative to control one or more ATM terminals 20, 80.
The terminal 20 forwards the payment request to the ATM control server 50, which is received and processed by ATM control software 60. The ATM control software 60 processes the payment request and transmits it to a destination terminal 80. The terminal software 90 receives and stores the request. The payor 10 coveys the confirmation number and personalization code to the intended recipient or payee 70. Once in possession of this information, the payee 70 inputs the confirmation number and personalization code into the terminal 80 where it is verified against the data received by the terminal software 90 from the ATM control server 50. If the data is verified, the currency is dispensed and the transaction concluded.
One limitation of a system such as this is its lack of support for systems not equipped to communicate according to the native format of the ATM system, e.g., the Z-Cash standard. There is thus a need for a system and method that allows users of computer systems, for example, P2P systems, to execute payments to other users that may be received by the intended recipient at an ATM or other similar financial terminal or kiosk communicating according to a native format that is different from that used by the computer system.